Service and Support
VMware vSphere customer service is usually responsive and efficient, with friendly staff. Some find response times needing improvement, especially for less critical issues. Technical support is generally knowledgeable and helpful, providing satisfactory resolutions. While priority issues are handled promptly, longer wait times are reported for lower priority cases. Support performance can vary depending on the representative. Experiences are mixed, with some praising swift service, while others criticize slower responses and miscommunication challenges.
Deployment
Users generally find VMware vSphere's initial setup straightforward, quick, and well-documented. With basic infrastructure knowledge, installation becomes intuitive. Some encountered complexities, especially with vCenter configurations or when involving larger infrastructures, which could require additional planning. Experienced teams often face fewer challenges, while those learning may need more time for complex environments. The setup can take from minutes to a few days, depending on requirements and familiarity with VMware. Overall, users appreciate the ease and efficiency once the setup is complete.
Scalability
VMware vSphere excels in scalability, enabling businesses to expand with ease. It supports adding hosts and servers rapidly, maintaining minimal downtime. Many businesses have successfully scaled from a few virtual machines to thousands without issues. Various environments, including enterprises with multiple nodes and clusters, have experienced seamless growth. Licensing costs can be a constraint, but vSphere's robust expansion capabilities and virtualization standards set it apart from competitors, showcasing unmatched scalability and resource optimization.
Stability
VMware vSphere demonstrates high stability with minimal issues, mainly related to third-party hardware or configuration errors. Users report infrequent stability problems, with most challenges resolved via patches or updates. The platform's reliability is praised, being rock solid over extended use periods. Occasional minor stability challenges arise, typically dependent on specific workloads or hardware vendors like HP or Dell. vSphere remains a trusted, robust choice favored for its consistent performance in virtualized environments.
I agree with cchilderhose, that v6 has significant improved in the responsiveness. I currently am the VMware IT Academy (vITA) Coordinator/Instructor for our Community College: www.cccti.edu
We were invited in 2006 by VMware to assist in the development of the vITA program which means I started with in in v3.5.
We have been somewhat force to use the Web Client since we have to instruct others on how to use VMware "Features". When the Web client was first introduce even folks from within VMware did not have a lot of positive comments about it.
But no matter what we all get familiar with initially, change is change. With the vSphere Client you don't have to think about how to do something you just do it. When first using the Web client I always felt as if I were stumbling around to find how to get where I need to be to complete a task. Not good when you are trying to show others.
With the release of v6 and in particular update1, the web client operates much more responsively. In addition, now that I have been using it for 2yrs, it does not function the same as the vSphere client and I now have learned how to be more proficient.
In fact, during the last section of the ICMv6 course we just finished teaching, I actually felt I was better completing tasks than I am with the vSphere Client. I guess the comment here is: "Be patient grasshopper".
The other thing of note is that if you do tasks in the vSphere Client they do not always propagate correctly. For example in assignments of access control.
One question I have is, for those that are not interested in using PowerCLI or the Virtual Management Assistant (vma), how will you be able to manage a host directly? When the eliminate the vSphere client.
I like to make comparisons, something I do now since I have been in Higher Ed for near 20yrs now after being in industry 20yrs prior, is that if you give me an iPhone I will stumble around trying to make a call since I use an android.